I’m the Director of Marketing and Social Media for Café Metro’s parent company S.T. Management Group here in the quiet little hamlet of New York City and being a part of the local, social and media outlets is no strange concept to us. However, being on a national TV show is A LOT different than being mentioned in local blogs, papers and on the lips of the homeless we feed.
Let me just say this…If you can get affiliated with a media outlet like a radio, TV or film production crew…DO IT! I’m going to shatter the 3 bullet point rule here and give you some tips as to how to make it work. Grab your crayons, here we go:
- We had a connection with the Celeb Apprentice via another NYC based restaurant that had done it 2 seasons ago. We tossed our name in the hat and the Trump group knew who we were. There was a connect. We got the call and away we went.
- The key to our success was going to be logo placement so I had to think like a camera operator. I had to think of the places and angles that would make sense. Coming from a background at WCBS News and film I had a pretty good idea of the “if I was a logo where I would hide” game. It worked! BIG TIME! Even the production team at NBC said it was the best, most focused logo placement they ever saw! BOO-YAAH!
- The fact that the Celebrity Apprentice has its roots in charity and giving back was a HUGE thing for us. The culture of our company is about giving back to those in need and it was important that we aligned ourselves with a show that held the same philosophy as we did. Now, is that to say if our friend Teresa Giudice from “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and her crew wanted to film at our location that we would have sicked pit bulls upon them in protest? NO! But, but it wouldn’t have the same satisfaction as knowing we made a REAL difference by being on this show other than being a set for our lovely logo and products.
- By being involved in something like this it calls for more than just the “all hands on deck” approach at the office level. You need an army! You need super soldiers from a Public Relation firm. We aligned ourselves with Morris+King, a tremendously hands on PR group here in NYC to handle the outreach for us. I’m a Marketing guy. My media rolodex is about as fat as Lindsey Lohan after a fast and furious coke filled weekend. A PR group can reach into media crevices we can’t even see. Plus they will help you keep your companies name out there while the fire’s embers are still warm from your media outing.
- Wallpaper your Facebook, Twitter and any and all social media outlets with pictures, news mentions, fan pictures, etc. Make that noise! You earned it! Our Social Media Manager, Mary O’Brian, tweeted out every photo and article mention as fast as she discovered them! (She is good! Thanks Mary!) Also, see if any media contacts you do have are able to talk about. My friend Dave Reynolds for the 99.7 Morning Show was more than happy to help us promote it through on air interviews with me. (Thanks Dave!)
Not only does it work from a business standpoint but it’s just FUN! Yes! Have fun with it! It’s a great deal of work but while it’s going on, just relax and enjoy it! I came from a TV/Film background as an actor so being around celebs was semi-normal for me. But, where else can you hang out with The Hulk, Pop princesses and Mafia Don’s daughters? Well, I am in New York so, any Starbucks or hot club really…
And So it Goes…
Miss the Episode? View it by clicking the logo to the right:
Also, follow Cafe Metro on Facebook and Twitter to see how we are handling it all!
Here is a great list of all the charities that the cast is fighting for. Check it out and see if there is a fit for your organization: http://bsquarednyc.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/follow-your-favorite-contestants-on-2012-celebrity-apprentice/
Nicely Done, Mr Sully,
ReplyDeleteMichael Mayer